Too late for love?
by Borys68
Summary: When on the Carrock Thorin confessed to Bramble Baggins how wrong he had been about her, the lovely Hobbit lass' heart almost tore itself from her chest in joy! All her life she had dreamed of finding happiness in a strong male's arms! And now she was in Thorin's embrace! But can she forgive him all that had passed between them from the moment he had described her as "fishmonger"?


AN:

The quotes are from the movie, all spoken by Thorin towards or about the Burglar.  
>I modified the first a bit, at Bag End.<br>The others are during the Storm Battle and after the escape from Goblin Town.

Thorin admitting to being wrong was spoken on the Carrock.

* * *

><p>On the Carrock.<p>

"I have never been so wrong in my life!"

Bramble Baggins trembled in the unexpected embrace! She felt her knees turn to hot butter as it felt so RIGHT to be in his arms.

Finally!

She felt her heart throb and wished for nothing more than to spend eternity in those strong arms, gazing into those blue, blue eyes ...

But memories brought her out of her swoon.

"She looks like a fishmonger."

"She's been lost since she's left home."

"We will not be seeing our Hobbit again"

The hobbit went stiff in the dwarf king's arms. She looked into his eyes, the hazel of the Shireling capturing the blue of the Son of Mahal. There was no warmth in Bramble's eyes. She extricated herself from his octopus like grasp and put her small, soft hand on Thorin's coarse cheek above the raven-black beard streaked with steel.

"Too late, Thorin."

She swallowed and a single tear slid down her cheek, leaving a streak in the grime.

"There was a moment when I loved you. A time when I could had loved you, had you allowed me to."

She swallowed again, a sad warmth in her eyes as she withdrew her hand from Thorin's cheek.

"But you had nothing for me but harsh words and hard glares. Never a word which did not make me feel like useless dirt. Now my heart is but ash and cinder. And now I see you as you truly are – a hard, cruel man".

Bramble stepped away from the frozen stiff son of Thrain.

Flicking her honey coloured hair over her shoulder she gave a long, hard look at the rest of the company. Some had the decency of looking sheepish.

"Throughout the journey you have given me the same regard as you did to my home - none. And at Rivendell you had been even worse swine than at my house. I say good riddance to you all."

Flashing a vulgar gesture she had picked up from the dwarrow she turned away from the company and snarled over her shoulder:

"Go meet your fate!"

She threw herself over the ledge and was picked up by Faegbes, the she-eagle that had brought her to the rocky outcrop in the course of the Anduin. During the flight to the Carrock they had discovered that their views on males were highly convergent. The noble bird agreed to extract her from her current company and bear her to Imladris. After a wonderful time at the Last Homely House, without the embarrassing company of Dwarrow Vandals, Bramble returned to the Shire before the winter closed down the roads.

* * *

><p>The Company of Thorin Oakenshield continued on its bold task. After fifty five years in the Dungeons of the Elvenking it resumed its quest, after Thorin had died and Balin, the next eldest, no longer bound by his King's command, finally volunteered the group's destination and purpose to Thranduil.<p>

However, by this time Erebor had been free of the dragon for over fifty years, after Gandalf and Radagast – knowing that Smaug was not familiar with the scent of the Istari, had entered the drake's lair and laid it low with the combined might of their magiks. Unkind tongues ascribed their victory over the dragon to the use of rabies' infected animals, but only vile minds could believe that Radagast could had misused his charges in such base manner. Gandalf grumbling that hedgehogs are more intelligent helpers than Dwarrow also is pure hearsay, probably spread around by mischievous elves.

* * *

><p>The hobbit had indeed returned from her adventure much changed from the respectable hobbit lass which had been half way on her way to highly respectable spinsterhood. Bramble continued adventuring on a small scale, however, venturing as far afield as Lindon and Rohan. She never married, rejecting the shackles of marriage, but had two daughters and three sons out of wedlock, supplying the Shire with juicy gossip for the rest of the Century. Bramble Baggins was never respectable again, with visits by Gandalf not helping. She disappeared one night in 3021, with some claiming that she had slithered away in the company of the Wizard.<p> 


End file.
